1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a modular convertible top for a vehicle.
2. Background Art
Vehicles such as sport utility vehicles, pick up trucks and the like are popular with consumers because of their versatility. One way to increase the comfort, convenience and market for such vehicles is to provide a convertible roof. Convertibles may have a rigid or flexible roof that may be removed to open the cabin of a vehicle or provide additional clearance for storing large objects in the storage compartment.
One way to provide a convertible sport utility vehicle is to provide a completely removable rigid roof shell structure. However, one disadvantage of this approach is that it is difficult to store the roof structure after it is removed from the vehicle. The roof structure is too large to store on the vehicle and must be left, for example, in a person's garage.
A snap on flexible cover made of cloth, canvas, or vinyl may be used as a removable roof structure. Removable flexible roof covers are normally provided with many snap closure elements and zippers. Attaching and removing flexible roofs from vehicle is time consuming and labor intensive but does provide a top that may be removed and stored in the vehicle. Soft tops must be carefully folded as they are removed to prevent damage to the removable soft top. If the removable soft top is not carefully removed and stored, snaps can be torn from the cover and flexible window elements or canvas sections can be damaged.
Removable soft top covers also suffer from disadvantages relating to vehicle noise and vibration. When a sport utility vehicle having a flexible cover is driven, particularly at high speeds, the cover can vibrate causing high noise levels. Further, removable flexible covers are inferior to rigid removable roof when used in foul weather because they are more prone to leakage. In cold climates flexible vehicle covers offer little insulation and are difficult to effectively heat.
The present invention is directed to providing a solution to the above problem.